By Howard Pousner
hpousner@ajc.com

Paradise Gardens, the late Howard Finster’s visionary art environment in northwest Georgia, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Pennville garden was purchased late last year by Chattooga County, and supporters say the the historic register designation will aid fund-raising to continue restoration efforts on the 4-acre plot.

Paradise Gardens will be reopened for tours during Finster Fest, held at downtown Summerville’s Dowdy Park on May 5 and 6. Info: www.paradisegardenfoundation.org.

More details below in the press release from the Georgia Department of Natural Resorces’ Historic Preservation Division:

Paradise Gardens Listed in the National Register of Historic Places

 Paradise Gardens, located at 84 Knox Street in Pennville, Chattooga County, Georgia, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on March 27, 2012. The property was listed at the national level of significance because it is an …

Continue reading Finster’s Paradise Gardens added to National Register of Historic Places »

By Howard Pousner
hpousner@ajc.com

It didn’t alter the course of Civil War history, but the Great  Locomotive Chase that took place on April 12, 1862 left its mark on the communities lining the rail route from Big Shanty (present day Kennesaw)  to near the Tennessee line and captured the imagination of a divided  nation.
A number of the towns will host public programs in coming weeks to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the chase.
The events of that day nearly 150 years ago were set in motion when Union spies led by civilian scout James J. Andrews consorted behind enemy  lines in Big Shanty to commandeer the  General locomotive. Andrews’ Raiders intended to force an end to the war by cutting off the Confederate strategic railroad supply line between Atlanta and Chattanooga, tearing up track, destroying bridges  and cutting telegraph wires along their way.
But their plan was foiled. General conductor William Allen Fuller and others pursued Andrews’ Raiders for 87 …

Continue reading How Georgia communities are commemorating Great Locomotive Chase’s 150th anniversary »

By Howard Pousner
hpousner@ajc.com

The durable songs of the late Johnny Cash are proving quite the wellspring of inspiration for other performing arts.

After last weekend’s Atlanta Ballet performances of “The Man in Black,” choreographed by James Kudelka to late-career Cash covers such as the Beatles’ “In My Life,” Georgia Ensemble Theatre will stage “Ring of Fire,” a musical based mainly on Cash classic originals, opening April 12.

Created by Richard Maltby Jr. and conceived by William Mead, the 2006 Broadway musical includes Cash songs such as “A Boy Named Sue,” “I’ve Been Everywhere,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Hurt,” “I Walk the Line,” “Man in Black,” and, of course, the title song.

GET artistic director Robert Farley said the Cash songs, informed by his “formidable spirit,” deliver the dramatic goods: “It’s all here … life’s joys, challenges and pain.”

The ensemble cast includes GET veterans Scott DePoy, Denise Hillis, Chris Irwin, Tracy Vaden …

Continue reading Georgia Ensemble next to explore inspiration, mystique of Johnny Cash »

THEATER
Hensley Awards nominees
The nominees for the fourth annual Shuler Hensley Awards are out, and the big vote-getters in these honors for high school musicals in Georgia are Milton High School (10); Tri-Cities, Starr’s Mill and Pebblebrook (nine each); and Riverwood (eight). Forty two schools from 14 public school districts as well as private schools competed, evaluated by more than 40 arts professionals. Full nominees list: www.shulerawards.org. Winners will be announced at a 7:30 p.m. April 17 ceremony  at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Tickets, $15, via 1-800-653-8000, www.ticketmaster.com. HOWARD POUSNER

THEATER
Aurora extends ‘Clyde’
Great reviews and strong word of mouth have helped pack Aurora Theatre for “Clyde ‘n Bonnie: A Folktale, ” so the Lawrenceville troupe is extending the new  musical comedy a week, through April 15. In the AJC, critic Wendell Brock called it “one of the most promising and important Atlanta-birthed shows in recent memory.” Tickets …

Continue reading Culture notes: Shuler Hensley high school musical nominees announced; Aurora extending ‘Clyde ‘n Bonnie’ »